


Fresh Love

by Stories_By_Bagels



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 20:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4848821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stories_By_Bagels/pseuds/Stories_By_Bagels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short encounter with a man blossoms into the beginning of something more</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What? Another Father!Ryan kind of fic from me? 'Guess it's hard to break the dad trope when you essentially define it.
> 
> ((Also I hope you all dig that super-clique summary ;P))

It was a warm evening in Texas but all you were thinking about was what you were going to eat for dinner since you hadn’t done your grocery shopping. The traffic over the bridge was at a crawl and all you were able to do was lean back in your seat with a heavy sigh and turn on the radio. A song slowly fades and is quickly replaced by a record scratching a woman’s high voice, droning on about some text to win contest. You adjust the radio to a different station as you slowly inch down the highway, your warm dinner and cozy house in your thoughts.

~~

You turn your car into the parking lot of the large store by your home. You listen to your stomach growl in the now turned off car.

“Alright… Just a quick in and out and then we can get home, change into some PJ’s and relax!”  
The thought of changing into decently comfortable pants helps a new wave of energy pulse through your body. You head towards the entrance of the store, grabbing a small push cart before heading inside going straight to the frozen food section. In the distance, you can hear the cries of a child but you try and ignore it, confident that it was simply a spoiled child wailing because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted. You make a sharp left and head towards the frozen meals and pizzas and pause as you come in contact with the source of the wailing. A child who looked no older than 5 in a purple shirt and small white shorts was standing in the isle trying to catch their breath. You turn to look behind you but don’t see anyone in the isle other than the child. You slowly approach them leaving your cart behind.

“Hey there… Are you alright?”

The child pauses mid breath her eyes wide and her body tense. You bend down to her level as best you can.

“Hey… Do you know where your mommy or daddy is?”

You phrase the question so that she understands and she stiffly shakes her head in response, beads of tears in her eyes. You furrow your brow, standing back up straight, taking another scan of the aisle to confirm that no new people had come by.

_Who would just let their kid run off like that? I guess the best thing would be to take her to the info desk…_

You look down at the small girl and her shining brown eyes meet yours.

“Hey, do you want to come with me and try and find your parents?”

She takes more steps back, violently shaking her head.

“MY MOMMY TOLD ME NOT TO GO WITH STRANGERS!”

Her voice was high and shrill and you felt sweat beginning to form, hoping no one was hearing this.

_Good kid not going along with strangers…_

You hold out a hand and she shakes her head again, her body tense, ready to run at an advance.

“Genevieve! There you are!”

You and the girl both turn to face the person whom the voice belonged to. A man who didn’t appear much older than you with light wispy brunet hair was looking at both of you. The girl runs past you and into his arms and he swings her up with ease. She buries her face into his shoulder and you walk up to him, about to exchange pleasantries before you realize something and you feel your eyebrows come together in anger. He seems to notice as he tries to open his mouth in explanation but you prevent him from speaking.

“Why would you simply LEAVE YOUR KID ALONE to roam this GIGANTIC store on her OWN? If I hadn’t been there what could have happened to her? It’s people like you who-“

A small glint comes off the man’s eyes and he finds his voice, raising it a slight bit over yours to stop you.

“First off, I didn’t leave her alone, she ran off. Second, it doesn’t SEEM like you helped at all! She’s on the brink of tears! And finally, I’ve been looking for her for the past 15 minutes and I haven’t even begun to stop worrying even though she’s right here in my arms!”

His voice was stern and a bit on the deeper side. You allow him to continue, now beginning to feel bad about telling him off.

“This also isn’t the first time she’s run off when I wasn’t looking. I always fall for it; she insists on getting out of the cart to pick out what she wants, she puts the item in the basket and then runs off when I’m not looking…”

His voice now began to go on the downwards path and you now fully regret telling him off. You look at the little girl who’s tear stained eyes were peering out from the man’s shoulder and at you. You look back up to the face of the man who was directing his gaze towards the floor.

“Hey… I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you… Honestly, I’m glad you were able to find her and knew exactly what to do. If she was my kid, I would have completely flipped and panicked…”

The stranger’s eyes come back up from the floor as you give your apology and he smiles a bit, setting the girl back down on the floor because of her fidgeting.

“She’s actually not my child; I’m babysitting her for some friends who went out for the weekend. She has a history of doing this with them too. Now that I think about it, they should be coming home this evening… Guess I don’t need to buy anymore orange juice than.”

He lets out a feather light laugh, seeming to put the whole thing past them already. You glance down at your watch to steal a glance at the time.

“Oh…. Am I keeping you from something? If you need to go…”

You quickly shake your head, “No no, not at all! My day is finished and really, I should be the one asking you this question…”

“I have nothing left to do except get home and get all her stuff together for the when her parents get back.”

“Well, then I’ll go ahead and let you two go on, I know how excited I would be if I knew my parents were coming back!”

You look down the girl as you say the comment but her face doesn’t seem to contain many signs of excitement. You internally shrug and turn away, giving the stranger and Genevieve one last wave. Before you’re able to clear the aisle, you feel a grip on your leg causing you to almost trip.

“Genevieve! What are you doing!? Let go of her!”

You look down and see the girl’s face buried in the side of your thigh. You lightly place your hand on her head and she looks up at you with more crocodile tears forming in her eyes.  
“What’s the matter dear? Don’t you want to go home and see your parents?”

The little girl offers no vocal response and instead shakes her head into your thigh.

_Why the sudden change of heart?_

The man seemed taken aback at how set on you Genevieve was. He walks over and tries to unclamp her from your leg. It only brings ear splitting screeches in protest and he gives up, looking at you.

“Well… since she seems so set on being permanently attached to your leg do you mind if…”

You tilt your head the side as you notice him get a little more nervous and a light shade of red on his cheeks fades in.

“D-Do you want to have dinner with us…? I mean… if you don’t want to that’s totally fine and I would understand if you couldn’t I mean you did say you were busy and all and I-“

His rather rushed dinner invitation statement makes you giggle and you hear him sigh.

“I knew you wouldn’t! I’m so sorry I asked and I’ve wasted so much of your time already and-“

He stops mid thought again as he watches you shake your head, letting out more giggles at the stranger’s nervousness.

“I would love to join you and Genevieve for dinner.”

The little girl’s eyes lit up in excitement her tears seem to evaporate instantly. She quickly unclasps your leg and makes a dash for the man’s cart, eager to get in, get out of the store and to dinner. You smile and move your gaze back to the man in front of you.

“I guess I never really told you my name, call me Ryan.”

He extends a hand to you and you clasp it, giving it a shake as you share your name with him.

“I guess… Let me go pay for these things and then you can follow me out. I’ll be driving the small white truck with stickers plastered all over the passenger side window.”

_Must have been Genevieve’s doing… How cute._

You nod, deciding to just worry about the grocery’s tomorrow night. You wave the two of them a momentary goodbye, exiting the store and leaning up against one of the pillars waiting for the two of them to come out of the store. 10 minutes pass and you see the two of them coming out of the store a shopping cart full of green cloth bags.

“Right this way!”

You walk beside the two, Genevieve giggling with excitement in the seat of the cart. You walk out into the humid parking lot and you spot a truck with stickers in the window. You cover your mouth with your hand to prevent Ryan from seeing the smile that popped onto your face at the sight.

“I’m parked a few rows over, I’ll drive around while you unload stuff…”

Ryan nods and you quickly jog off in the direction of your car. You get into the warm car and notice the darkening horizon past the buildings on the other side of the street.

You back out of the spot, heading in the direction of the row Ryan was in. As you turn up the aisle, you see the truck slowly back out and you let out a small honk hoping Ryan would realize it was you. Through the small back window you see Ryan lift up his hand in acknowledgement before he moves it back down out of your sight. He takes the lead as the two of you begin to make your way out of the crowded parking lot and to the dinner spot. 

~ ~ ~ ~ 

“Table for 3 please… And do you think it would be possible to get a booth?”

A medium built man nodded at Ryan’s request, grabbing two menus, a piece of paper and a small box of crayons before leading them to their table. Genevieve was tightly clutching Ryan’s hand as you walk through the noisy and crowded cantina. The silent host holds out his hand as he gestures to a table. Genevieve eagerly takes the inside of the booth, close to the window Ryan sitting next to her. You take the bench across from them and the host sets down the menus in front of all of you before giving another nod and walking back towards the front of the restaurant.

Ryan glanced over at Genevieve who was eagerly coloring all over her kids menu.

“Do you know what you want to drink Genevieve?”

“Can I get lemonade, Ry?”

You move your hand over your mouth in a poor attempt to cover the large smile that had popped on your face after hearing the pet name Ryan had. Ryan notices the attempt but doesn't say anything, keeping most of his attention aimed at Genevieve.

“You may, but only one glass then we’ll get you some water. I’m not really sure how your parents would like it if I filled you all up with lemonade… You would probably never get to bed…”  
Ryan lets out another one of his light laughs before turning towards you.

“You going to be ordering a drink or anything? I am paying for you as well, right?”

You open your mouth, about to object to his very gracious offer but an older looking woman walks over with a smile.

“Hi my name is Jenn and I will be your waitress for tonight. Can I start you out with drinks and appetizers?”

You and Ryan give her nods as she eagerly gets out her small order notebook and a pen, waiting for one of you to speak. Ryan speaks up first,

“Can I get a kids lemonade for the one next to me, just some coke for me and…”

Ryan looks over to you and you make eye contact with the waitress who still has a large smile on her face.

“Um… I guess I’ll just take a coke as well…”

The waitress nods before scurrying off to the other tables she was in charge of. You take a quick glance out the window and notice how much closer the clouds were, but you move your gaze away from the windows when you here Genevieve’s voice.

“Ry! Help me! I can’t find this one word!”

Ryan pivots himself and faces the small girl, scooting closer so that he sees the sheet of paper better. One of Genevieve’s small fingers points to one of the words on the side of the word search and Ryan’s eyes slide over to the large square filled with jumbled letters and words. His eyes scan over it for a long time, unable to see the word she was looking for. At this point, you could see her lip falling into a slight pout and you decide to help. You lean over the table, attempting to find the word despite the paper being upside down from your vantage point.

Only the cheerful background music of the cantina can be heard at your table as the three of you search.

“GOT IT!”

You eagerly place a finger on the starting letter of the word and move that finger diagonally across the remainder or the word. Genevieve’s eyes brighten and she quickly circles the word with one of her crayons before she lost the word.

A cough from the waitress caused the simple excitement to abruptly end. Drinks had already been placed and she was patiently waiting to take orders.

“What do you want to eat sweetie?”

Genevieve turns and faces the waitress, a large grin on her petite face.

“I want cheese kuweh… kuwesa….”

The little girl continues to try and pronounce “quesadillas” before the waitress finally goes into a laughing fit, finishing the order for the little girl. The momentary stall allowed time for you and Ryan to quickly decide what you wanted to eat. The waitress also takes those orders and the menus before rushing off again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Man Ryan that dinner was so delicious thank you so much for-“

You pause mid-sentence as you walk out of the small restaurant to the greeting of a torrential downpour. It was a rare Texas thunderstorm that actually contained a sizable amount of rain. The clouds above were borderline black in color and Genevieve was tightly gripped to Ryan’s leg, probably a bit scared at the sight.

Ryan looked down at her and then moved his gaze to you before an idea pops in his head.  
“I’ll be right back- Could you watch Genevieve for me while I’m gone?”

You nod, absolutely unable to refuse after Ryan’s kindness throughout the evening. He smiles in relief and detaches Genevieve from his leg, hoisting her up off the ground, giving her a stern look.

“Genevieve, Ry will be right back ok? Please, please, stay here until I come back. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT go out in that rain, understand?”

The small girl gave him a nod, no intention of running into the downpour. You already had a good idea of what Ryan was planning and you really didn’t approve but didn’t speak up about it either. He sets Genevieve back down on the ground next to you before taking in a deep breath, looking both ways before dashing into the downpour, disappearing and blending in with the torrent of rain.

You felt Genevieve’s tight grip on your fingers. A large clap of thunder caused the grip to tighten further and you heard a small whimper as she buried her face in your thigh.

This poor girl, I wonder if she has ever actually seen rain like this before?

She releases her grip as you bend down to her level. You could see small tears beading in the corners of her eyes and gently pick her up, swaying your body back and forth in some odd attempt to calm her down a bit. Another clap of thunder echoes through the sky Genevieve buries her face deep in the crook of your neck. You begin stroking her back and watch as a familiar white truck pulls up to the restaurant.

Ryan gestures through the window for you to get in the truck. You nod before adjusting Genevieve in your arms so that her small eyes were meeting yours.

“Alright Genevieve, Ry is here with the truck. You may get a bit wet making our way over. You ready?”  
The little girl nods and you smile at her.

“Alright, on the count of 3. Ready? 1….. 2….. 3!”

You make the short dash to the passenger door of the truck and quickly open it, hopping into the passenger seat with Genevieve now in your lap. You turn and look at the thoroughly soaked Ryan who had a large grin on his face despite how cold he looked to you. His wet shirt was tight against his chest and his jeans looked thoroughly soaked as well.

“Now to take you to your car!”

While you should have, you don’t bother with you seat belt as Ryan slowly makes his way back over to where you had parked. He puts the car in park and turns to face you and Genevieve who was still sitting in your lap.

“So…. is this the end of our little dinner outing?”

Ryan pitched the question to you and it takes you by surprise. You had enjoyed your time with Ryan and Genevieve and you honestly had no desire to end that time but you felt odd going to this strangers home only after one…. Date? You weren’t really sure what this was being classified as. You feel Genevieve squirm in your lap and she looks up at you with sad eyes.

“DON’T LEAVE!”

Genevieve’s blunt objection throws you further off guard but you decide to listen to the child.

“I… I guess I can just follow you guys home right?”

Both Ryan and Genevieve get large grins on their faces at the sound of the unsure question.

“Yeah, that will be fine. I’ll pull forward a bit once you hop out so I’ll be the leader.”

“Sounds great.”

Ryan leans over and gently picks up Genevieve, a part of his hand brushing your arm as he moved her out of the way. You dig out your keys and hit a button on the remote causing your car to a flash a few times. You hop out of the truck and quickly enter your car. The large drops sounded harsh from the inside of your car, but you didn’t mind since they weren’t soaking you. You slide your key into the ignition and start the car, watching as the back of the bed of Ryan’s truck disappears from sight through your rear view mirror. You flick on your headlights and pull the shift into reverse, slowly backing out of the small parking spot. The taillights of Ryan’s truck begin moving away as he begins to once again take point and drive out of the lot. You pull the shift down to drive and then lightly press on the gas, eager to get to his home and out of the rain.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain had not only continued, but worsened on the way to Ryan’s house. You watch the white truck ahead of you pull into the small driveway as you pull up to the curb next to the house. You stay in your seat as you watch Ryan, with Genevieve in his arms, get out of his truck and dash to the front porch. You suck in a deep breath as you stop the car and remove the keys from the ignition. Your leg muscles tense and you open the car door, slamming it as you run to the small covered porch. Your mad dash does little to keep you from getting soaked but you notice that Genevieve was thoroughly soaked and Ryan got a second coat of rain, his clothing once again dripping.

He fiddles with his keys for a moment, missing the key hole a few times as well before finally inserting the key and turning it, the door opening up into a small, but warm, home. You watch Ryan remove his shoes and then bend down and remove Genevieve’s shoes. You follow his lead, removing your soaked and probably muddy shoes, leaving them in the same area as they were.

“Alright Genevieve, I’m going to go draw up a bath for you so that way when your parents get here you will clean… And-“

Ryan turns to you, “I will also go fetch you a towel so that you can dry off a bit… Just stay right here.”

You stay glued to the spot you stand at as Ryan swiftly picks up Genevieve and takes her further into the house. You listen as water begins to run from within the house and you shift from foot to foot, attempting to keep warm and suppress the need to shiver.

You hear quick footsteps and Ryan approaches you, a soft looking bath towel in his grasp.

“Um….. I uh…. If you want to change into something less…. Wet-“

He chokes on the word for a moment before continuing, “I can uh…. Lone you like a shirt and stuff if you want…”

His voice was a mere whisper as he extended the offer, obviously embarrassed and flustered over asking the question. You smile at him, graciously taking the towel out of his hands.

“Take care of Genevieve first and then you can come worry about me… I don’t have a pick up time like she does… I can also stand the cold a bit better than she can.”

Ryan’s face perks in surprise and he deeply bows mumbling something about being sorry and that he would be right back. He takes off back into the house and you can’t help but sigh and smile at this rather busy body side of him. You take the towel and begin drying the parts of you that weren’t covered by wet clothing. You hear the water shut off and a low voice followed by a high pitch “ok”. More footsteps and Ryan returns once again, his clothing still soaked as well, his hair plastered to the top of his head and forehead.

“I guess uh…. Follow me and we can get you some…. RENtal clothes.”

His voice cracks and he deeply blushes, quickly walking away to try and hide his embarrassment from your gaze. You follow his hunched over figure into the dark house, the walk to his room short. He flicks on the light and you flinch at the sudden light exposure. He mumbles an apology as he digs in his dresser, searching for a shirt for both him and you. He quickly pulls out multiple white undershirts, tossing them onto the bed, white out of the question. He finally pauses for a moment and pulls out a black tee shirt with a large print on the front.

“Uh…. Will this work?”

You walk over and he gently hands the shirt to you, your hands brushing as the shirt changes hands. You hold it up to your body and mentally note how much larger it was than the shirt you currently had on.  
“Yeah, this will be fine…”

Ryan smiles, his body relaxing a marginal amount. He quickly pulls out another t-shirt, presumably for him, and then opens the drawer directly under the one he had just been digging through. The drawer contains dark colored shorts of different styles and lengths. You watch Ryan’s shoulders clench back up as a realization comes over him. He turns and faces you, “So uh… I have a bit of bad news… I REALLY don’t know if these are going to fit you…”

You let out an audible hum, trying to think of a way to solve the problem. You knew that a belt would be your best option but you didn’t see any in the room. Before you could ask about a belt, Ryan quickly jogs off, something else in the house gaining his attention.

_I guess Genevieve is all finished…?_

You shake off the thought and wander over to his closet, opening it with ease. Your stomach shifts as you do open the door, knowing full well that you probably should just wait until Ryan got back. You grope the wall for a moment before finally finding the light switch. You flick it on and find what you were looking for almost immediately; to the left was a small wire rack with belts of different material and colors carefully threaded through the small loops. You take a small step into the closet and grab the first one your hand brushes against. You pull out the belt with a swift movement of your arm flicking off the light as you close the door. You walk back over to the open drawer and pull out a pair of jean shorts, grab the shirt off the bed and then walk over to the door which led into the bathroom. Shutting and locking it behind you, you quickly change into Ryan’s shirt and jeans, leaving on your still damp delicates.

His clothes were big on you, the shirt baggy and the shorts impossible to keep up without the help of the belt. you drape you wet clothes along the edge of the tub before opening the door, grabbing the towel you had been using earlier and vaguely drying your hair more before walking out of the room. You see the light in the other bathroom spilling out and walk towards it, guessing it was where Ryan probably was. You hear his voice and pause midstep, pressing up against the wall

“-yeah, see you guys in a bit.”

Ryan’s voice sounded tired as he ended whatever conversation he just finished.

“You can come in now; you don’t have to hide…”

You do as Ryan’s tired voice instructed you to do, moving off the wall and into the small entryway to the bathroom. Ryan is leaning up against the outside wall of the bathtub, his shoulders sagged, his wet hair still plastered to his face.

“Genevieve’s parents will be here in a bit to come pick her up. I told her to go change into PJ’s and then start packing…”

His voice was soft and his gaze was fixated on the tiles in front of him. You walk further into the bathroom before sitting down across from him. His gaze rises as your legs block the tiles he had been starting at. His eyes were restless, not settling on one spot, constantly shifting. You couldn’t help but sympathize for him since you had no idea how draining it was taking care of a kid.

“Are- Are you… alright?”

Your question goes unanswered for a few moments before a deep sigh leaves Ryan, filling the air with his anguish.

“Not particularly… But I need to look strong and happy for Genevieve and for when her parents get here…”

Something in Ryan’s brain clicks and his restless eyes come to a complete stop looking into yours.

“I left you in my room and didn’t bother coming back and aiding you…. God damnit… Sorry about that.”

His soft voice hardened and anger began to crawl into it. His eyes disconnect with yours as they slowly go down yours body, looking over the clothes you chose and his eyes stop on the belt that was peaking from underneath the shirt.

“Did you go into my closet…?”

You bite your lip before answering a timid “yes” and Ryan’s sagged shoulders tense.

“You wouldn’t have had to if I had just stayed there….”

“Ryan… why are you beating yourself up over this silly issue? I understand that you had to attend to Genevieve before me since she can’t do things quite for herself yet. Don’t get upset over that.”  
“But that’s thing, I should have attended to you first since honestly I-“

He pauses and takes a small sweep of the room before leaning in close to you, his voice back to a whisper.

“I don’t like taking care of Genevieve. She’s a handful and really, her parents aren’t my most favorite people either…”

You and Ryan lean back, Ryan looking as though 1000 pounds had been lifted off of him. You hear rustling coming from the other room before a dull thud and the soft sound of the TV.

A silence falls; you wanted to evacuate the elephant from the room and you didn't know how without being blunt. Ryan shifts a little, moving stray wisps of hair off his face. You suck in a deep breath and let out an audible exhale.

“So… why aren’t you know… her parents your most favorite people?”

Ryan's wandering gaze snaps back to attention; he opens his mouth to speak a knock on the door interrupting. He quickly gets up off the floor, about to start walking out before he stops, extending a hand to you for assistance up. You gladly take the offer, his large hand warm as it clasps yours. With a small tug, your back up on your feet also pressed close to Ryan. You both blush and separate quickly, Ryan taking a left and going to Genevieve’s room.

“Hey Genevieve, your parents are here…”

His voice is soft as he peeks in. He receives no response and walks into the room. He is greeted by a passed out Genevieve at the foot of the bed, her head resting on a pillow the TV flashes illuminating her peaceful face. You can’t help but smile at the small girl and you enter the room too.

“Do- Do you think you could do me a bit of a favor and grab her bag from over there so that I can carry here?”

You nod and walk over to the corner of the room where a small and colorful suitcase was laying, already zipped and ready. You pick it up, the case lighter than you expected and follow Ryan who now had Genevieve draped across one of his shoulders back to the front of the house which still had yet to get any lights turned on. He opens the door and is greeted by a smiling couple who invite themselves in. They both have dark brunette hair, the husband nearly a head taller than his wife.

The wife sees the sleeping Genevieve and smiles at the small girl, extending her arms to Ryan who carefully hands her the small girl. As Genevieve’s mom takes her daughter you notice Ryan’s gaze was not looking at her but past her. Genevieve’s father extends his hand and you give him the case, hoping the gesture wasn’t meant to be a handshake. He takes the case and moves his gaze to Ryan seeming to ignore your presence all together.

“Thanks again for taking her for another weekend Ryan; you know how much me and the wife appreciate it.”

Ryan’s gaze moves to meet the husband’s gaze and his smile looks forced as he shakes his head.

“It’s fine man, you know I don’t mind.”

Ryan’s voice sounded half a pitch lower than it had been for almost the whole night. You could hear the minute difference but the couple didn’t seem to catch it. Ryan and the husband exchange a few more words about sports and the weather before the family walks back out the door into the rainy night. Ryan shuts the door behind them before letting out a heavy sigh, viciously running his hand through his hair. You observe from a distance and he blushes as he realizes that you were still in the house with him.

“Sorry… I- I guess you can go now if you’d like… Genevieve’s not here holding you back anymore.”

Ryan ruffles his hair again and you smile at him, moving your gaze down to the floor in front of you.

“Well- I mean… Genevieve wasn’t the only reason.”

Ryan sharply inhales, his breath catching the inside of his throat.

“R-Really?”

His voice was soft as he asks the question, taking hesitant steps towards you. You feel your face warm as you nod your head and listen to Ryan’s steps come closer. The steps stop and your gaze became obstructed with Ryan’s shirt. You move your gaze up to look him in the eyes, his beautiful blue eyes.

“I- I appreciate that… Much more than you understand.”

Ryan closes the gap between you two, moving his arms and grabbing a hold of you, pulling you into his warm chest in a deep hug. You ear rests against his chest, his heart beat steady, his breathing calm. You have no words for him and instead return his hug, wrapping your arms around him, his hold becoming just the smallest bit tighter.

“It’s been so long since I’ve shared a simple hug with someone…”

Ryan’s voice was still a whisper and you listened as he began speaking.

“Genevieve is the daughter of my two best friends. Her father was a very close friend of mine in college. Her mother is my ex-girlfriend from college as well; I guess she just preferred my buddy instead of me, which I understand. After we broke up and she began dating him, I was heartbroken, making a rather silly oath to myself that love was unnecessary and that friendship was something I never needed again. I lived by that oath for as long as I can remember after they started dating. During that time I watched the two of them fall in love, marry, and have a child of their own…”

Ryan pauses as he swallows a lump that was forming in his throat. You pull back out of the hug, looking him in the eyes again.

“Do you want to go sit down…?”

He gives a silent nod, breaking the embrace with you and walking over to his small sofa. He sits down on one end and you sit at the other and he continues.

“I was never outwardly bitter towards them because I could see how happy the two of them were together. Anytime I see them and Genevieve, I put on a happy persona, talk about all the fake parties I go to, talk about how awesome my truly crummy job is, talk about the all the beautiful women who actually take no notice of me. After a while, I finally came to my senses. It was time for me to drop my bitterness and instead try and find my own happiness rather than be jealous of what the two of them had. So I tried and tried and after a while I just got tired of trying. I’m a rather painfully average person so it was hard to give anyone some sort of hook that would appear even mildly interesting. Soon, Genevieve started reaching that age where she still needed a guardian but her parents didn’t want to be those over lookers and who better to take care of their kid than their ‘best friend.’”

You and Ryan had both moved, now sitting next to each other on the sofa, both of your gazes averted and looking at something other than the other person, your arms lightly touching, your fingers twitching, waiting for the other to intertwine them.

“I don’t have the guts or the ability to tell them I hate taking care of their kid. I’m a textbook definition of a yes man.”

You move your gaze up to look at Ryan who had also shifted his gaze so that he looked at you. A flash of lightning burst, the room white washed for a brief moment before fading back to darkness. A thunder clap soon followed, the house creaking from the release of energy. Your eyes were still locked with Ryan’s, gazes steady, waiting for the other to move.

“Did I ever give you any sort of thanks for this wonderful night? Cause it really has been wonderful. The pleasant conversation, the rain, everything about tonight was… wonderful; I haven’t been this happy in so long…”

Ryan’s voice trailed off, his eyes cast down. You smile, leaning in and kissing him, your fingers moving into the gaps of his. You feel his clasp on your hand tighten before gradually relaxing as you break the kiss and pull away.

“Why… did you do that? I-I don’t understand.”

You smile and shake your head, lightly resting your free hand on part of his jaw.

“You don’t have to because even I don’t understand why I did it. I just felt… it was the right thing to do. You yourself have been so wonderful tonight; treating ME to dinner, allowing me into your home, giving me dry clothing…”

Another bolt of lightning brightens the room, thunder soon accompanying it.

“I’ve never had anyone do these things for me, you’re the first.”

Ryan flinches, taken aback at the compliment and about ready to deny it. He blinks a few times before finally smiling.

“So… would you care to… stay a bit longer and- share some dessert and a movie? I can put your clothes into the dryer and-”

You shake your head and Ryan’s face deflates and you laugh. He looks up at you as you rise up off the sofa.

“My uh… My clothes um… CAN’T go through the dryer…. They uh… need to air dry. Yeah, that’s it.”

You give him a quick wink and his face brightens, his brilliant laugh filling the room as the rain outside continues to pour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why am i always so mean to ryan? the world may never know


End file.
